This review may contain spoilers
What a disappointment… saved only by the excellent performances of the cast
I have never in my entire life watched a drama as toxically written, ridiculous, and narrative-breakingly absurd as Overdo. The only reason I managed to survive the absolute torture of sitting through all 33 episodes is out of pure respect and love for Zhang Linghe and Wang Churan. They are a truly magnificent cast who deserved a masterpiece, but instead, they were handed a pathetic, trainwreck of a script featuring characters who completely fail to evolve.
The toxicity of the writing is entirely rooted in how the main couple is fundamentally broken. The writers present Susu as an entirely manipulative, heartless, and cold person driven solely by bitter revenge. She is pathologically full of lies, pathologically deceiving people even about the most obvious things—including the paternity of her own child. On the flip side, Qingyi is portrayed as an emotionally weak, completely obsessed man who remains pathetically in love with the exact person who actively sent him to jail. There is no genuine character growth; they simply cycle through the same toxic behavioral loops for 33 episodes.
By Episode 26, the pacing completely implodes. We are subjected to a bizarre, rushed, and incredibly poorly directed fake-wedding-turned-real-marriage that gives the audience total whiplash. If that wasn't absurd enough, the script suddenly decides to turn Susu into a high-security wartime espionage spy overnight. The writers threw every single pathetic trope into a blender—toxic family whippings, a sudden rare child blood disorder, secret drug cartels, and wartime explosions—just to force unearned high stakes because they didn't know how to write organic character development.
To make matters worse, the technical production values are an absolute eyesore that completely ruin the viewing experience. The show is plagued by relentless, constant flashbacks that treat the audience like we have no short-term memory, grinding the pacing to a halt. Visually, the entire series is buried under a bizarre, sickly greenish tint that drains all the life out of the scenes. Combined with the cheap camera angles and rapid-fire editing, the entire production gives off the low-budget vibe of a vertical micro-drama rather than a high-end, premium television series.
The finale package dropped by iQIYI is the ultimate proof of how chaotic this production was. In a matter of minutes, the script literally blows Murong Qingyi up in a horrific warehouse fire, only to immediately resurrect him and place him on a train with Susu and Le'an for a rushed "Happy Ending" quota. It is pure narrative whiplash.
The saving grace of this entire disaster is the leads. Zhang Linghe delivers an acting masterclass; his emotional restraint, his signature "one-tear" crying scenes, and his transition into "dad mode" were incredibly moving despite how weak his character was written. Wang Churan matches his gravity flawlessly, delivering heartbreaking vulnerability even when the script forces her to play a deeply unlikable, manipulative woman. Their chemistry and professional dedication are the only reasons this show is remotely watchable.
To the cast: I respect your hard work immensely.
To the writers: this script was an insult to the viewers and a complete waste of a gold-standard cast.
Watch only for the actors, but prepare for mental exhaustion.
The toxicity of the writing is entirely rooted in how the main couple is fundamentally broken. The writers present Susu as an entirely manipulative, heartless, and cold person driven solely by bitter revenge. She is pathologically full of lies, pathologically deceiving people even about the most obvious things—including the paternity of her own child. On the flip side, Qingyi is portrayed as an emotionally weak, completely obsessed man who remains pathetically in love with the exact person who actively sent him to jail. There is no genuine character growth; they simply cycle through the same toxic behavioral loops for 33 episodes.
By Episode 26, the pacing completely implodes. We are subjected to a bizarre, rushed, and incredibly poorly directed fake-wedding-turned-real-marriage that gives the audience total whiplash. If that wasn't absurd enough, the script suddenly decides to turn Susu into a high-security wartime espionage spy overnight. The writers threw every single pathetic trope into a blender—toxic family whippings, a sudden rare child blood disorder, secret drug cartels, and wartime explosions—just to force unearned high stakes because they didn't know how to write organic character development.
To make matters worse, the technical production values are an absolute eyesore that completely ruin the viewing experience. The show is plagued by relentless, constant flashbacks that treat the audience like we have no short-term memory, grinding the pacing to a halt. Visually, the entire series is buried under a bizarre, sickly greenish tint that drains all the life out of the scenes. Combined with the cheap camera angles and rapid-fire editing, the entire production gives off the low-budget vibe of a vertical micro-drama rather than a high-end, premium television series.
The finale package dropped by iQIYI is the ultimate proof of how chaotic this production was. In a matter of minutes, the script literally blows Murong Qingyi up in a horrific warehouse fire, only to immediately resurrect him and place him on a train with Susu and Le'an for a rushed "Happy Ending" quota. It is pure narrative whiplash.
The saving grace of this entire disaster is the leads. Zhang Linghe delivers an acting masterclass; his emotional restraint, his signature "one-tear" crying scenes, and his transition into "dad mode" were incredibly moving despite how weak his character was written. Wang Churan matches his gravity flawlessly, delivering heartbreaking vulnerability even when the script forces her to play a deeply unlikable, manipulative woman. Their chemistry and professional dedication are the only reasons this show is remotely watchable.
To the cast: I respect your hard work immensely.
To the writers: this script was an insult to the viewers and a complete waste of a gold-standard cast.
Watch only for the actors, but prepare for mental exhaustion.
Was this review helpful to you?
